


Thieves In A World That Don't Want Them No More

by IReallyHateMyself



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alchemy, And almost every other character, And pulls a scam, Cannon Typical Violence, Ed Swears, Ed crossdresses, Ed is bottom ofc, Eventual Smut, Everyone teases him for it, Fluff, Heavily inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2, If you like horses and cowboys, Insert "I wanna be a cowboy baby" meme here, Lots of sexual tension lmao, M/M, Mutual Pining, Outlaws, Posse, Roy is smitten, Slow burn kinda because time skips, They're in a gang, This Is For You, Train Heists, Wild West AU, Yee Haw, medium burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:14:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28092993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IReallyHateMyself/pseuds/IReallyHateMyself
Summary: Roy meets Edward for the first time in the saloon of Saint Denis. They're both wearing different names, and neither of them realize that the person they've been searching for is each other- a gang leader and a bounty. When they meet again scarcely a day later in the wooded outskirts of Annesburg after a heated chase, there's some surprise, to say the least.Includes cross dressing, scams, shenanigans, train heists, and cowboy romance! Yee-haw!
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 9
Kudos: 55





	1. Prologue: An Explosion, Gone In A Flash

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! This is practically a Red Dead Redemption 2 AU, but I'm using wild west instead to be more general. Don't worry if you've never played/seen the game! I mostly just use its beautiful open world (feel free to google the map as you read) and have a few parallels and references. The title, for instance, is a near-quote from the game c:  
> If you follow me for The Selection(RoyxEd Edition) fanfic, don't worry! That's my main work and I'm far from finishing it, just taking a hiatus is all. Life got busy, but I think I'm reaching the end of the tunnel! This fanfic, like so many others in my google docs, had already been started a long time ago, so it only needed a little bit of work to get it posted. The entire fic isn't done yet, but chapter 1 is already written and it has a line work designed to be more of a shorter story that'll be finished in only 7 chapters.  
> This kind of came out of nowhere, even for me, but I hope y'all enjoy this RoyEd fanfic of the American Frontier! 
> 
> WARNING, PLEASE READ:  
> I'm sticking with the cannon age gap (14 years), but because I really don't want Roy to be older than 30, Ed's going to be 16. The actual age of consent in America according to some sources in 1899 was only 9 years (yo, that's insane, wtf) but I ain't about that so I made the age of consent be 16, which a lot of modern countries still have now. Obviously I understand if that makes some still uncomfortable, so I added the tag just in case, but please feel free to age up Ed 2 more years! I won't explicitly state their ages more than once in the beginning of their relationship so it won't be a constant reminder for anyone who wants to see it otherwise; this is just how I'm regarding them for this story c: 
> 
> Also!!! Saint Denis is pronounced 'San Denny'. Give saying it a try!- makes the words a lot more fun lol

Roy was idling spinning the golden amber liquor in his glass as he watched the saloon doors from his bar stool perch. His mood was so sour and back so slouched that one could easily quantify him as stewing in melancholy, but he would never admit that. Roy Mustang never _stewed_ . He was just surveying the scene, contemplating, and totally completely _not_ looking for a pretty face to take to his hotel room for the night. 

Just then, as if his thoughts were brought to fruition, a group of women came through the doors, their high pitched laughter and large dresses getting the attention of the entire room. There were three of them, hair all varying shades of brown, and they sat on a table only to immediately begin to fan themselves and play with their curls. One was eyeing the group of men playing poker in the corner -they stared back like starved dogs- another was not so subtly pushing together her cleavage as she fixed her dingy small feathered hat, and the last one, the prettiest by far with a hue of blonde mixed in her brunette locks and small up-pointed nose, was looking at _him_. 

Roy sighed and turned back around, uninterested.

All Saint Denis women were the same these days. They all had their hair put up in these over exaggerated curls and dresses too frilly as they tried way too hard to emulate Europe in fashion and lifestyle. Saint Denis might’ve had the same cobbled paths and estates and carriages and trolleys and newly installed electric lamp posts running down the streets, but it was far from the developed countries across the sea. Ride out scarcely a few miles and suddenly there was nothing was swamp, and the majority of the country was an outback, every other town still with dirt roads and lined wooden shops against desert or forest. The women there wore button-up smocks tucked in simple skirts as they worked the farms and performed actual labor, and Roy thought vaguely that he much preferred those kinds of women. 

They were freckled from being out of the sun and usually had much more interesting things to say, plus the lack of social etiquette and elite barriers made for the most exciting romantic endeavors. He missed the towns like Rhodes and Strawberry deeply, but there was nothing to be done. He was stuck in Saint Denis for the time being, and Roy could only bring himself to throw his head back to down the rest of his liquor at the reminder. He slammed the empty glass back down. 

God, he really was stewing, wasn’t he?

“Would you like another, sir?” The bartender asked. Roy was unable to help but scorn the stupid curled-up-ends-mustache the man wore, it was clearly European influenced, and frowned as he shook his head.  
“That’ll be enough for today. I need to wait for someone though.”

The bartender nodded, grabbing his glass to clean it. “I understand. I’ll get you a water for your time.” 

Roy just gruffly hummed concomitantly, too upset with Riza’s ‘no getting drunk on the job’ protocol to care about his manners. With major side-eyeing, the bartender gave him the clear glass. He had given Roy a worse look when he had first walked in the saloon, so he didn’t mind. He was used to it too. Getting nasty looks, that is. Roy didn’t do the Europe-copy-cat norms of Saint Denis, and instead he wore a gunman’s coat and hat, hostlers on his hips for pistols and star-shaped spurs on his boots for riding, and that tended to make him stick out a bit. 

The bartender was still loitering in front of him, so Roy raised an eyebrow in silent prompt as he looked back.

“You a cowboy?”

Roy scoffed and returned his attention to the glass, picking it up to swirl the ice around. “Bounty Hunter.” He corrected. 

“Hm. Not many still in these parts.”

“That’s not the case a few miles west, you know.”

Now the bartender was the one to huff in incredulity. “So many of you western folk are clinging too much to the past. It’s going to be the turning of a new century next year- it’s already 1899. It’s about time for the era of savage methods of law and justice to end, I say.”

Roy’s eyebrow twitched. “You call the end of the American frontier the end of savagery?”

“That I do.” He sniffed, evidently deciding he no longer wanted part in the conversation. He walked away to the other end of the bar to tend to some other patron, and it was probably for the best that Roy didn’t get to retaliate. That wasn’t going to stop him from demanding Riza for a percent raise of reward keeps though. 

Oh, how he hated Saint Denis.

Roy determinantly stood, no longer willing to do nothing but stew- because yes, now he could admit it. He walked over to the group of men playing poker, the look in his eyes alone being enough for them to part a seat for him without question. They wore vests and coats that were dignified like every other man here, but Roy always found that the most laid back people in each town were the ones he could find playing cards, and he needed the leisure. Might as well if he had to wait regardless.

Dusk settled into evening smoothly outside as he played a few rounds with them, speaking few words between and enjoying himself even less. More and more patrons trickled in, and the entire bar had begun to cultivate an air of boisterous volume as more drinks were passed around and as more hookups between strangers were made. It was usually the type of setting that Roy would go for, but even now he wasn’t in the mood. Better than doing nothing, still, but he was perhaps bordering on a bit too desperate by the time he looked up to the sound of the door opening for the umpteenth time. He sucked in his breath.

It was a girl, but she was the most gorgeous thing Roy had ever seen. 

Her hair wasn’t curled or bunched up into one of those ridiculous hats, but let down long and straight, only the strands in the front tied back. Her blood red dress was long-sleeved and high collared, and Roy grieved that he couldn’t see a shred of skin on the neck or collarbone, but even the corset alone was making her waist clearly and tantalizingly slim. Modest dress or not, the contrast it made with her face was starking. She was gold. Her hair, her lashes, her skin, her _eyes_ even, looking as beautiful as the sun and as riveting as the most exotic flowers. 

The women in the room stared at her affronted for being scandalous -for not wearing a hat- and the men stared at her like she wasn’t being scandalous enough -for not wearing a socially acceptable off shoulder dress- and Roy could only stare at her eyes. Jesus, those _eyes_ . They looked like molten stars, shades of pale browns and ashy reds intermixing into something so fiery and bright that it left him breathless. She was scouring the room with them, something calculating and determined in that flickering gaze. Then those eyes stopped and landed on _him_.

Oh god. 

“You.” She pointed, using no class or niceties. For Christ's sake she was full on _glaring_ , and Roy didn’t know if he could take that heat.

“Me?” He asked, surprised and grateful to find his voice sounding completely steady and firm despite his inner turmoil. He had to pull himself together. 

“Yes, you. You’re Claude Von Aeir the bounty hunter, right?”

Roy couldn’t help his slowly forming grin. “Why, yes. That’s me. Can I help you with something, missy?”

Her glare somehow got instantly sharper. If looks could kill, Roy would be a dead man. 

“So you’re stronger than all the suckers here?” She challenged, stepping closer with her hands on her hips. Roy got momentarily mesmerized by the way her bangs swung with the motion. He was still smiling like some idiot. 

“Would you like to find out?”

The girl paused, her eyebrows going high for a moment. Then she actually _smirked_. It was lopsided and sharp and mischievous and snarky and Roy was already falling into the abyss. Jesus. 

“I would actually. Care to arm wrestle? Just me and you.”

Roy blinked. What? 

The girl looked full-on dead set serious and, even as a few unbidden barks of laughter filled the room at the challenge, she didn’t look away from him. He tried his best placating smile. 

“With all due respect, I don’t see much of a point in doing that...”

Her gaze turned scathing again. “What? Need some incentive, lazy bastard?”

“Pardon?”

“People of Saint Denis,” She turned away from him, jumping onto a table with such grace and elegance that Roy’s knees went wobbly at the sight despite already sitting. The girl had slightly lifted her skirt to do it, and now he could spot the heels of what he knew to now be long laced up boots. They clacked against the wood as she took a few steps in the other direction to address the entire room, not spilling a single glass and ignoring the shocked people sitting there with such precision that it was admirable. “I would like to offer this bounty hunter a chance for you _all_ to win something tonight. It’s a simple bet. Anyone who’d like to take part just has to place a hundred dollars in the pot-”

There was some more scattered laughter at that, but she easily ignored it and continued. She had the entire room _enraptured_ for Christ's sake. 

“And Claude here and I will arm wrestle. If I win, I get all of the money. If _he_ wins-” Roy watched frozen as she pointed to him again and, briefly, their eyes met. Her expression shifted into something entirely sultry before she turned away. “Everyone who placed a bet will get _me_ for an entire night.” 

Silence. The room was frozen as she let that hang in the air. 

Then abruptly, everyone came back to life; It was like a hurricane. 

Many men, including all of Roy’s poker group, jumped to riffle through their wallets, the women belatedly gasped, the bartender was trying, and failing, to tell the golden blonde to get off the table, and Roy sat in shock. The girl was holding out a bowler hat that seemingly materialized out of nowhere, collecting the money in it with a self satisfied grin, and Roy was getting pat on the back with those who betted. 

“Don’t go easy on her champ.” One guy said, right as another came and gripped his shoulder.

“You better win.”

“My entire life savings are on you.”  
Roy couldn’t believe it. The amount of people actually taking part of this was astonishing. He even saw a man who had clearly come in with his wife checking his wallet -he promptly got slapped- and even two women entering cash in the hat. The golden girl in question just accepted all of it, and Roy could tell by her eyes that she was mentally checking off every face that made a bet. She was serious. 

Standing up straight again, still on the table, she shook the hat in his general direction. 

“This includes you too, you know.”

Everyone was looking at him, and Roy could only feel a mix of incredulous awe and skeptic amusement. Ah, okay, so _that’s_ how it is.

He put a contemplative fist over his mouth as he made a big show of looking deliberating, unabashedly looking at her figure down. By the time his eyes raked back up to her face- he spotted it. It was subtle, it was well hidden, but it was _there_.

There was a slight shift in her shoulders, a brace in her jaw, and Roy completely reveled in the fact that he was able to make this seemingly impenetrable girl _uncomfortable_ . To say he missed the feeling of self control was an understatement. After all, Roy Mustang didn’t fall and trip over himself for women; he made women trip and fall for _him_. 

He let his hand fall and stood, his smile dilated up to the highest degree of charm and charisma he could muster. 

“I’m not interested in betting if that’s how easily you put yourself up for grabs.” He drawled, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. The girl’s eyes widened instantly, fiery and angry, and she opened her mouth to rebuttal but Roy got there quicker. “ _However_ , I will still participate in this arm wrestle challenge of yours. After all, I shouldn’t let the saloon down.”

There were some whoops and cheers around the room at that, and she watched him closely for a long moment, her frown obvious. 

“Fine by me.” She bit, stepping down from the counter with a loud stomp of heels. Without any preambles, the people who had sat there moved out, leaving the round table empty for the event. She walked behind it and leaned over to braced her arms, her right hand poised. 

“Ready whenever you are, old man.” 

Roy tried to not let the genuine offense show at all, and instead scoffed.

“Alright.” He smirked, settling over the opposite end of the table and taking her hand. She wore gloves, but even with the fabric Roy was surprised he couldn’t feel the softness he expected to underneath. Her hand was cold. 

“This wasn’t my idea.” Roy reminded the entire room. She was truly the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on, especially now up close, but let it stand that Roy _never_ went easy on someone just because they were a woman, or a pretty one at that. Riza had long beat him out of such assumptions, after all. 

Her lashes dipped and she had that tilted smile again. “Oh, we’ll see how you feel about that soon enough. One of you-” She flippantly waved her other hand towards the rest of the room. “Count us off.”

Roy couldn’t even take his eyes off hers even as some third person approached their table to play referee. The intensity between their gazes was electrifying.

“Ready… Set… Go!”

The girl’s grip on his hand suddenly went so tight that Roy had to withhold a grimace of pain, and she pushed his arm so hard that he actually startled. His hand actually almost came all the way down, but he was quickly able to recover and bring their arms back in the middle. They both pushed as hard as they could for a moment to no avail- it was a deadlock. If the tension between them had been sizzling before, now it was _burning_. 

Everyone else, the rest of the world, disappeared in Roy’s mind. The girl didn’t look away from him as their struggle continued, and -Jesus- being so close, able to count her lashes, to see faint freckles along the bridge of her nose, had Roy’s head spinning. He had to focus. Her strength had genuinely surprised him, but he was quick to get over the realization. He had been fighting since he was old enough to walk; there was no way he was going to lose to this. She may have thought he was the average mellowed out bounty hunter from Saint Denis that spent more time sitting in an office than actually catching criminals, but he was no normal bounty hunter. And he was _not_ from Saint Denis. 

Roy shifted his weight to his other foot, braced his right shoulder, and _pushed_. Slowly, trembling, her arm started going down. The fleeting flash of surprise on her face was like holy grail- but Roy couldn’t take his time appreciating the new expression before it shifted again. She outright sneered at him. 

“Fucking bastard-” She gritted, and -in an instant- she pushed so hard that Roy nearly lost his footing. For a split second he could hear everyone yelling incoherently -and the sound of gears whirring?- right as their arms swung over the opposite way hard, too fast for him to fully process. 

His hand hit the table. 

“The girl wins!” The referee cried.

The room stilled in frozen shock, all except for the girl herself. She straightened up from the table with a wide grin, hugging the bowler hat full of cash to her chest like it was a pillow. 

“Well, you saw it here folks! Saint Denis’s finest bounty hunter lost to a girl!” She mock-announced, gesturing like some show host and still grinning like mad. In a flurry of dress and golden hair, she pivoted and was out the door faster than Roy could realize what even in Christ's sake happened.

Then it dawned on him and his eyes went wide.

Oh shit.

“Hold on!” He called, racing out after her. 

He seemed to react faster than the others, which was good because he didn’t want to be there once they realized that he lost all their money. That wasn’t going to be pretty. Roy tried to not worry about that too much though as he frantically searched for a gleam of gold on the streets. A few walking workmen passed and a carriage pulled by a pair of horses went the opposite way, but Roy caught the bright flash dashing into an ally. He chased after her.

“Hey! Wait!”

The girl didn’t even stop running, only flashing a sharp grin over her shoulder. “If you’re going to tell me that you were going easy on me or somethin’, save your breath!” 

“I wasn’t!” Roy shouted back. 

That actually made her pause. She stuttered to a halt, heels sliding on the stone pavement with practiced ease as she pivoted to face him with a skeptic look. 

“What? You wanna a rematch?” 

Roy shook his head while he took a moment for a small breather. He was in shape, he swore, but he was also getting older and he wasn’t prepared for the sudden sprint. The girl eyed him suspiciously all the while. She kept a good amount of distance between them, but otherwise didn’t look too on edge considering they were both sandwiched between the high walls of the thin -and dark- alley. 

“Then what?” She questioned, scowling again. “I swear- if its to try to get your friend’s money back after I won fair and square I’m gonna fuckin-”

“Oh, not at all.” Roy quickly corrected. He dusted off his pants, more or less fully composed despite her vulgar phrasing, and shot her a grin. “I know _very well_ how clever and strong women can be, so I have no problems with you winning.”

She must’ve heard the honesty in those words because she gave him a more incredulous look, like she was trying to find a trick when there was none. It worked though. Roy saw her weight shift from her toes to the balls of her feet, her stance no longer prepared to flee. 

“Then _what_?” 

“Your name.” He said, “Could I get your name?”

Her golden eyes flickered around his face and her brows furrowed, as if debating. 

“Edlyn.” She said after a moment. “But I prefer Ed.”

Roy couldn’t help but smile. She was so radiant without even trying. Even as she clung the hat full of cash close to her chest, Ed exuded nothing but confidence in her posture and intelligence in her gaze. Like dynamite, from the get-go she was loud and blazing, and she was unorthodox beyond comprehension, cursing like a sailor and challenging him how no Saint Denis women would- all in the span of a few minutes. Roy had seen no one like her. 

Maybe that was why he did what he did next. 

He closed the distance between them with his hand held out, and with relief he noticed she tensed from his approach but didn’t made to move.

“I’m Mustang. Roy, Mustang.” He introduced. 

Ed scowled. “Huh? Isn’t your name Claude Von Dipshit?” 

Roy couldn’t help but smirk. “Not exactly. Can you keep a secret?”

Her eyebrows rose so high in alarm that Roy had to restrain laughing at the expression. 

“Your real name isn’t Claude?” She balked. “Are you fuckin’ serious?”

A part of Roy was face palming hard at himself for even revealing that. He had no reason to blow his cover to her and he had nothing to gain from the risk, but… Something about her. He couldn’t help but want to tell her.

“I felt like you should know.” He confessed, stretching his fingers of his held out hand hand for emphasis. “You had killer game in there. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

If she was looking at him like he was crazy _before_ , then Roy had no idea what to call the way she was looking at him now- it was on a whole other level. Despite the clear distrust, she held out her own arm to return the greeting. Strangely, she used her left, and Roy swiftly accommodated by switching over to his own before taking her hand. That seemed to placate her slightly for some reason, and he couldn’t tell if it was from withholding from kissing her hand like she was some damsel or if it was because he didn’t question her left-handed approach. He shook her hand firm yet gentle. 

“S’pose you’re not as bad as I thought you were. Definitely _not_ a pleasure meeting you though.” She drawled, but the hint of mirth in her tone only had Roy glowing.

“Then I’ll happily say the pleasure’s all mine.” 

“Smooth bastard.”

For a moment, they just stayed frozen holding the handshake and staring at one another, Roy’s grin definitely bordering on the edge of being goofy, and Edlyn’s lopsided smile vaguely considerate. No glare, no calculation, no hostility, and for the first time- He felt like she was actually _looking_ at him. 

“Hey! They’re over here!”

At the loud shout, Edlyn startled and the small moment shattered into a thousand pieces. 

“Oh shit.” She cursed, looking over Roy’s shoulder. “I’m going to run away now, and if I were you I’d do the same.”

“What?” Roy pivoted to see. It was a group of men... men who had been in the saloon and who had just lost a hundred dollars and who all looked very very _very_ upset. 

“See! They were working together!” One of them shouted. 

“You scammers!”

“Get ‘em!”

“Oh shit.” Roy eloquently copied, realizing in dismay that Edlyn was already disappearing down the next corner of the alley. 

He ran after her, breaking into a painfully sudden sprint and doing his best to keep up for the second time, only to stutter to a halt as taking a turn suddenly had him reaching a dead end. 

“What the-”

There was pattering on the bricks above, and then a shout. 

“Use the barrels to climb over the wall, dumbass!” Edlyn was high above him, leaning over the edge of the three story apartment building’s roof. Roy was gobsmacked. How on earth did she get up there?

“T-thank you.” Roy pivoted and saw what she had pointed towards, and quickly vaulted over the short wall, evading the mob of men right before they turned the corner. He knew he should still run, that he still wasn’t completely in the clear, but he couldn’t help but turn around to give Edlyn one last look. He didn’t know how she vaulted all the way up there, but it was clear that, no matter how much he regretted it, now they were parting ways. 

“Where can I find you again?” He shouted, uncaring of the risk. Roy needed to know.

Edlyn didn’t say anything right away, already standing from her perch in preparation to keep running. Looking over her shoulder, she gave him one last sharp grin. 

“Not in Saint Denis.” 

And then she was gone.

Over the roof, probably onto another, in a flit of golden hair and scarlet dress, she disappeared into the night. 

Roy had to remind himself to keep running once he heard the anger of the mob grow closer, but his mind was completely stuck reeling. Everything had happened so fast. Like a firework, she shimmered in the sky only to vanish as soon as he blinked, and he couldn’t bring himself to move past it. Her abrasiveness, her strength, her elegance, her _eyes-_

One look and he felt shot in the heart.

It wouldn’t even matter if the mob caught him at this rate, because Roy was already a dead man. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ed: *exists*  
> Roy: :0 
> 
> Yeeyee, next chap features a lot of horses and horse facts because I am a nerd lol. Chapter 1 is already written, but I'm not sure how soon I'll post that one. Think I want to wait to see what type of feedback I get here, because if this gets like 0 views then there's no point lol. Please feel free to tell me what y'all think in the comments! Constructive criticism is welcomed and I sincerely hoped you'll enjoy this lil' fic <3 
> 
> Stay safe, lots of love!!


	2. Same Eyes, Different Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He could feel it now. The adrenaline and rush of blood pumping through his heart, fear and excitement alike filling his senses. Roy couldn’t help the grin that broke on his face. A chase was going to be *fun*. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowow 100 hits already! Honestly didn't expect anything at all from this because this fic is such a small niche- I've never seen a Wild West RoyEd AU before and I probably wouldn't have been interested myself it if hadn't been for Red Dead Redemption. So this is such a pleasant surprise!  
> Thank you to those who left kudos/comments/bookmarks, because seeing those numbers go up from 0 always gives me unreasonably amounts of happiness, haha. Not sure when chapter 2 will be out, but here's this nice long chap for now! Please enjoy!
> 
> Notes: (for those who wanna know what the heck is happening when it comes to horses)  
> American Paint - A breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto, spotting pattern of large patches of white and any other color. (work horse)  
> Mustang - A breed of free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. (multi-class)  
> Andalusian- The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE, is a horse breed from the Iberian Peninsula. (war horse)  
> Dapple Grey - A color pattern of dark rings (dapples) over a gray coat. (coat color)  
> Blue Roan - A roan* with a dark underlying coat that gives it a bluish cast. (coat color)  
> *Roan - A horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"—lower legs, mane and tail—are mostly solid-colored. (coat color)  
> Arabian - A breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. (superior horse)  
> Palomino - A genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. (coat color)
> 
> Or just feel free to google image the horses! 'Blue roan mustang', 'dapple grey andalusian', and 'palomino horses' searches especially bring beautiful photos <3

With every breath, Roy could taste the dirt on his tongue. It was unbearably humid here, more so than in the swamps somehow, and he had a feeling that the trend would persist as they continued traveling north from Saint Denis. He would usually complain right about now, but the men were straggling behind with the same tired expressions and Riza looked about ready to bite someone’s head off.

The woman had been furious when Roy had come back empty handed from the bar with nothing but the tatters of Claude Von Aeir’s dignity and reputation. Turns out that losing the betting money of everyone in the most popular saloon had not been a good call for earning the local Marshal’s trust as a bounty hunter, so their entire plan to raid Saint Denis’s banks from the inside completely tanked that same night. All of the months’ work- gone.

He had been at the bar for a bounty stakeout after receiving information that they frequented there, but the loss of a client was little compared to the loss of the entire city’s trust; rumor spread and now everyone believed he was part of the arm wrestling scam. Riza was usually phenomenal at damage control, but once she saw that Claude was now a wanted man by declaration of the county deputies, she forced the entire group to pack up camp and begin moving that same instant. They’d been travelling all night and morning since.

Understandably, the gang was a little upset about the turn of events. 

“Hey, chief.” Jean suddenly piqued up. He maneuvered his horse through the group and wagon to ride side by side, his American Paint mare huffing in protest. 

“Annesburg is coming up. Can we stop there? I think the animals are getting mighty thirsty.” 

Roy squinted up at the sun skeptically, gauging with relief that they should have enough time to set up camp before the stars come up. 

“Alright. We should set up nearby the town as well. The spot will make a good base for a few weeks while we collect our bearings.”

“And to catch the Fullmetal Bandit.” Riza reminded him from behind. “You must not forget that’s your main goal here. It’s the least you can do for ruining the Grand Plan, Mustang.”

Roy tried not to visibly wince, but she probably saw it anyway. Jean respectfully backed up again. 

“As I am well aware that I was the main detriment to the heist-”

“Only” She corrected.

“Fine. _Only_ detriment to the heist… regardless, you must admit that attempting to steal from Saint Denis’s banks from the inside was a lofty ambition, right? To gain enough trust to become city marshal could’ve taken years. Not to mention, it wasn’t a complete loss. I mean, ‘Claude’s’ time there as a bounty hunter made sufficient funds for the camp, and we even got a new covered wagon and…” Roy stopped, feeling Riza’s glare on his back turned icy without even looking. He sighed. “Riza,” He lamented, slowing his Mustang’s trot enough to ride by her side- and yes, he rode a Mustang, of which the situation of course always got him some laughs. Now was not a time for humor, however.

“You have to believe me when I tell you,” He pressed, unfaltering with the cold look she shot him, “I am so sorry for messing things up so horribly last evening. You know I would never purposefully turn my back on this team and jeopardize them. We’re family.”

Riza stared straight ahead for a while, the only sound being hooves on dirt and stone for a moment, before releasing a defeated sigh herself. 

“I know, Mustang. I may be the one that holds the camp together, but you’re the one who’s always out doing the dirty work, and obviously it can’t work out all the time. It’s only… you know…” She paused, leaving her words in silence, and Roy _did_ know. 

Riza followed Roy into the life of an outlaw unprompted, but she came from a good and well off home. Although she was far from afraid of sleeping on the ground, Roy knew that she must have dearly missed a normal life of sleeping in houses and beds. He tried convincing her once to leave him, but she wouldn’t for the exact same reason why he was where he was now. Their gang was family. 

The Grand Plan was one of high hopes and of unreasonable dreams, because the money from it was supposed to be enough to get the group able to settle down and start living honest comfortable lives somewhere else. She was in it to get the team, a ragtag collection of outcasts, a place where they could belong and be safe, but Roy was in it for that and more. He loved the American frontier, and he loved being a cowboy even if he was one of the last real ones left. 

Riza didn’t- at least, not exactly. 

“You know, you fit in real well in Saint Denis. You could easily find a husband and start over there.” He idly offered. Even though they both knew that he was mostly joking, Riza didn’t hesitate to whack him on the arm. 

“Never.” She swore, but the small smile that came after relieved Roy to no end. They had tried being together, once upon a time, but she was too quick to settle and he was too eager to keep moving that they knew it could never work. She was content to stay with everyone for now, but Roy knew that Riza was planning on finding someone to end the lifestyle of an outlaw with, and that definitely wasn’t him. 

Still, he loved her, wholly and fully, because she was like a big sister he never had and sadly the closest thing he’d ever had to a real mother, so he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. 

Here in the pine forest approaching Annesburg after a day of weary travel he knew that, unfortunately, she was not. 

“You didn’t have to leave the city with us.” He whispered this time, unable to help the serious thought. Riza noticed the lack of mirth instantly and dropped her head.   
“No... “ She said after a while, “No, I’d be no better off if I was alone- city or otherwise. It’s alright.” 

That’s what she always said, but Roy had to take her word for face value and believe her.

“Okay.” He lightly kicked the stirrups to move back to the front, but before he even fully left her side, he couldn’t help but say mock-seriously swear, “I’ll make sure to catch that Fullmetal Bandit so that you can buy yourself a lavish tub with the reward money.”

Without turning back, he knew Riza rolled her eyes.

“Then you’d have to buy me a cart and new horses to carry it.” She shot back.

“Oh, the tragedy of being high maintenance.”

“ _Or_ ,” She emphasized, “You can use the money to hire a search party for that lost fallen angel of yours. Edlyn, was it?”

“Edlyn?” Jean echoed loudly, having overheard. 

“OOOOOOOOO!” Breda and Fuery immediately followed from their seat of the wagon. 

Roy whipped to look over his shoulder and face them all, affronted.   
“I would never do such a- I mean don’t even think-”

“Chief, you gotta admit,” Jean started, grin plastered over his dumb face, “You’ve never talked about a girl so much after a mere encounter before.”

“Yes, it’s rather intriguing to say the least,” Vato agreed, having also ridden closer to the forefront of the group after hearing the turn of conversation. He, like everyone else, suddenly wanted to stick his nose in the matter for some inexplicable reason. 

Roy did his best to not sputter. “I only brought her up once-”

“Exactly!” Breda accused, “That’s like, way more than zero, which is the usual.” 

Fuery was nodding furiously and even Riza was giving him an amused side look. What the hell.

“Well, I had to. How else was I supposed to explain how I had a mob chasing me last night?” Roy defended.

“Yeah, but you went on and on about how pretty her eyes were, and how radiant and beautiful and-”

“Enough!” He flushed, “I didn’t-”

But he did- Roy remembered the slip up as clear as day. He had been explaining to a pissed Riza and a confused gang why he had ended up loosing a bet, because it all really _wasn't_ his fault, and for some reason he felt the need to describe Edlyn in excruciating detail. At first he thought he was doing it to convince them of the truth that she practically seduced the entire bar, but then by the time he realized he had started swooning, the boys were hiding their laughter and Riza had looked disappointed beyond comprehension. At least the latter changed.

The former, however, was far was over. 

“Chief,” Jean implored, “We’ll help you find her again if you want, you just gotta ask.” His kind offer seemed almost disingenuous with the teasing expression, and Breda was wiggling his eyebrows while Fuery tried to muffle his laughter in his hand. 

To hell with all of them.

“You know what?” Roy kicked the spurs to get his mare moving, “You all go ahead and get the supplies from Annesburg and I’ll meet you in town in a few hours. I’m going on ahead to scout out a spot for our camp- _alone_.”

“Mustang-” Riza admonished. 

But he sped off, leaving the entire group still forced to travel at lagging speeds due to the carts and high numbers. Even worse, he left despite a warning from _Riza_. For a moment, none of them knew what to say. 

“Oh wow.” Fuery awed. 

“He… He’s really smitten then.” Breda realized, speaking for the entire group’s shock. Jean was the first to break in a smile again.

“Damn. In that case, we should totally tease him about this forever.”

Even Riza had to chuckle. 

“Oh, _definitely_.”

\-----

Roy was stewing again, this time as he mused over the little information about his bounty: The Fullmetal Bandit. Sightings were rare, many accounts inconsistent with the lone cowboy’s appearance, but they all had one thing in common- a metal arm. That wasn’t what worried him though. 

Despite the majority guesswork that made up his poster art, there was something about the photo that was reminding Roy too much of another certain blonde he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about. One description of ‘long, golden hair’ especially hit the mark, and Roy had to rub his temple before he popped a vein. His friends’ teasing had been irritating, but they were right. 

This girl was different than any he’d encounter before, and she wasn’t some single and forgotten fling like most town girls were. He knew he had to pull his act together soon though; now was no time to be fantasizing about a pretty fiery blonde. 

It was a good thing he had some time to recuperate in his tent, which was one of the first ones pitched, but he knew he had to come out soon to help the group. Their camping spot was a mere mile from the small mining town of Annesburg, and everyone was busy setting up the new base. Jean and the boys were in town buying supplies, Ling and Lan Fan were tending to everyone’s horses, Gracia and Sheska were setting up the kitchen tents, and Maria and Rebecca were unpacking the covered wagons with the rest of the men. Meanwhile Lust and Greed had volunteered to stay behind in Saint Denis to pass the news of relocating to the Armstrong siblings, who -like so many other posse members- temporarily went off to fulfill a heist of their own. They were down south in Black Water, there were some other boys already setting out to start hunting towards the west, and it was with a high sense of pride Roy walked out of his tent to see his gang well at work. He and his group were one of the last real lot of cowboys left, not to mention one of the largest, and they even had budding families and children -Elysia the youngest. Everyone took care of one another.

Things would have been all well and good if it wasn’t for the fact that, not only were they constantly chased down by deputies for being outlaws, but one of the only other posses out there were their sworn enemies. They were just as big, if not larger, and were constantly the biggest threat to Roy’s makeshift family, because they weren’t out to arrest. 

They were out to kill. 

“The O’Bradley’s,” Riza said, grim. She had just rode in as Roy walked out, and she jumped off her Andalusian dapple grey stallion gracefully despite her haggard expression. “...Seem to be moving more and more east by the day. Folks in town said they’ve seen a few pass through. Scouts, probably.”

Roy couldn’t help his own responding frown. Seems like Annesburg wasn’t a safe place to set up camp after all. Not if O’Bradley’s gang was nearby. For the umpteenth time that day, Roy mentally kicked himself for messing up their chances in Saint Denis. He may not have liked it, but their camp there was well hidden in the swamps and their whereabouts inconspicuous in the mass populated area. They were safer, undiscovered thus far, and had even found an abandoned house to use as the center of base. They could never risk drawing any attention to themselves precisely because of the O’Bradley’s, and Roy’s headlining scam of the saloon already induced it, so they all had to move. 

“If I’m going to get us that bounty you want so badly, I’m not going to have much time.”

Riza nodded in agreement. “We weren’t meant to stay here long anyway. I’ll send out Scar and Brosh to scout for a better place so we can leave before next month, and I’ll make sure there’s double guards at all times.”

It was necessary, Roy knew, but anxiety began to suffocate his stomach. Although they were a rather large group, most of the gang stayed in domestic duties. They had a chef, a doctor, herbalist, even a scamming salesman, but exactly _because_ they took all outcasts in, only half of the entire group knew how to work a gun. Those forces were already spread thin as it is when it came to well-experienced teams that could pull off heists -which pulled in the most funds- so using more competent members for guard duty would be a big loss in the long run.

“Riza, as always, you’re in charge while I’m gone. I’m going to head out right now to get started on tracking the bounty. The sooner we get him, the better. Got anything that could help from your info run?”

“Of course,” She said, “One man said he saw him recently, so we’re on the right trail. Said he stopped by a day ago and bought a bulk of supplies. I’d try following the river up north a bit; see what you find, because he’s got to be camping if he’s carrying that much. Look for tracks too because sources have said multiple times that he’s almost always seen with a horse.”

“A horse?” Roy hadn’t heard of anything like that from the bounty papers he had just been mulling over a minute ago. “That’s new.”

“An Arabian. Palomino coat, they say.”

Roy gave a low whistle. Palomino -white and gold- was a rare color only commonly found in Quarter horses. “No wonder. Hard to forget a horse like that.” 

“Hard to not spot in a forest like this too. If we’re lucky you could catch his stead as well- I’m sure it’ll bring in just as much cash as his head, if not more.”

“I’ll try.” Roy offered, already putting back on his gunman’s coat. He checked his pistols for ammunition -as a precaution- while Riza helpfully brought over Cinder, his beloved blue roan mare. He had found the Mustang as an abandoned filly separated from her herd, and -after weeks of trying to approach her and feeding her fruits- he finally gained her trust enough to start leading her just as he was a teen. Now as adults, she had practically become his closest friend since they started riding together, and Roy wouldn't dare ever putting his saddle on another horse. 

Unlike most of the other horses at camp, despite the long journey Cinder was rearing and ready to go as soon as Roy greeted her with a pat and biscuit.   
“Ready to track down another bounty, girl?”

He could have sworn there was affirmation and excitement in those intelligent eyes, and with a grin he hefted himself on and took the reins.

“Riza, I should be back by nightfall. I don’t expect to find him today, but I’ll do my best to find leads.”

“Yessir.” It was a mock salute, but its casualness didn’t undermine the promise in his second-in-command’s gaze. In fact, Roy always felt a tad better when Riza was in charge of the camp, rather than him. She might as well have been permanently with how many of the gang’s schemes were plotted by her brilliance. If their posse had any resemblance to chess, he might have been the king, but Riza was the most powerful piece as queen, no doubt.

“I’ll be back soon,” He assured. Then he was off. 

Cinder easily was led through the chaos of their mid-set up base, and she instinctively set into a canter as soon as they broke from the campsite. The 3-beat gait was such a reprieve for Roy, as it’d been a while since he went on a good ‘ol fashion hunt. Not an animal hunt, but a _bounty_ hunt.

Lately, the bounties in Saint Denis had been lackluster, most of the fugitives hiding in plain sight among the city, so all he had to do was get the information of where they’d frequent and wait them out. The Fullmetal Bandit on the other hand, enthralled him. 

Roy had first heard of the lone cowboy when they’d been based back west by Strawberry about a year ago, but it had been nothing that interesting or out of the norm back then. After some time though, word started spreading that he had a metal arm, which coined his nickname, and his crimes started getting more and more outlandish. First it was basic stealing, such as money, food, guns, but then it became priceless relics from museums, libraries, even aristocrat’s homes. If someone were to ask Roy, he’d say that he believed that the man was looking for something, rather than reselling trinkets, but that didn’t matter.

What mattered the most is that he’d been branded as an absolute dangerous and priority criminal in every single county, because it had been discovered that he was an _alchemist_. 

Alchemy was a science that had been banned for centuries, the only exception being the most recent legal use in the military back in Roy’s prime days, but the stark destruction its use reeked only spurred the art to be forbidden more forcefully. He was one of the few that learned it, excelled at it, and he became a monster for it.

Most soldiers that had used it were executed. 

Roy had escaped. 

The Fullmetal Bandit however was thought to be young- way too young to have been in the military and recent war- and that intrigued Roy to no end. Alchemists were practically extinct now, the government highly encouraged their eradication, but Roy wanted more than anything to see it for himself. To see a fellow comrade in science and monster of power.

He had already long decided to turn in the cowboy regardless, but for God’s sake he just wanted to _see_ another alchemist. 

It was bad enough being part of two dying professions; Roy didn’t want to be part of a non existent one. 

It had gotten a little cooler, which helped the humidity situation, but the sun was barely settling into an orange dusk- so there was still plenty of light as Roy found the main river and followed it up stream. It was easy to reach when he only had to listen for the rushing water, and it was a sound he admittedly missed since hunkering in Saint Denis. There were more foliage and stones jutting from the ground here than before, so Roy had Cinder slow down just in case he’d miss anything. He wasn’t gonna lie, the fugitive seemed nothing but smart, because this was a perfect location to hide out. Christ, he’d _have_ to be in order to have evaded the entire country’s law enforcement for months. Roy had only never bothered to try himself before because they were never around the same area, but now that’s changed.

He was looking forward to catching him, to say the least. If there was anyone that could do it, it was Roy.

“Hold on, girl.” He urged, spotting something strange not long later. Roy got off and touched the ground where the bushes there were flattened. Not only that, but the leaves were wet. Looking behind himself to see the rushing river, he easily deduced the direction the horse came from before passing here. Now he had to hope it was the alchemist’s.

Clever as always, Cinder was subdued as she followed Roy quietly without prompt, but her ears were pricked forward in high alert. Well aware and trusting of the mare behind him, he carefully set out to follow the trail of trampled ground, feeling his heart start to speed up in anticipation. In certain areas it was nearly indiscernible, but Roy was one of the best hunters there is. He could spot it, and it was _recent_. 

There was no way it should be this easy though. There was no way that this could be it, but-

“C’mon, I’m tellin’ you that it’s nothing.”

Roy nearly froze hearing the muffled words of a man’s voice. It was close by, and, sure enough, after a few crouched steps closer to the sound, Roy was able to make out the scene through the trees. 

It was a man indeed, in a small clearing with a pitched tent and tending to a golden and white horse. Roy sucked in his breath. It had to be the Fullmetal Bandit.

“Stop giving me that look, I mean it. I don’t appreciate it.”

He was talking to his horse, bending around and untying the saddle and reins. The Arabian huffed a small whine, to which the alchemist immediately replied with, “You jerk.”

Roy thought it was sort of peculiar, but fugitives tended to err on being a bit crazy, so he wasn’t too surprised. Besides, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was how Roy was going to pull this off without blowing it. 

He tried to sneak closer without being seen, but the inevitable rustle of leaves had the alchemist’s horse freezing in attention.

“Huh? What is it?”

Roy mentally cursed at the slip, but he knew Cinder would be just as still as he was and that they could stave off the discovery if they waited a moment. The pale golden horse didn’t seem convinced quickly though, and looked in their direction which prompted the lone cowboy to pivot to do the same. There was a long fwip of gold hair in a ponytail with the motion, and, although Roy couldn’t see his face under the shade of the man’s hat, he couldn’t help but be reminded of another certain blonde with the color. He shook his head; no, this was not the time to be getting distracted. 

“Hold on a sec,” The man said, still speaking to the animal as if it were a person. Surprisingly, the horse did wait in place as he stepped closer to the origin of the offending noise. Roy was still a good paces away, but who knew how many more steps until he could be seen through the trees. He wasn’t going to risk it. 

“Ready?” He whispered to Cinder, and for a moment felt like he was being a hypocrite for calling the fugitive crazy- but was quickly consoled with the reminder that it was a training word. His Mustang knew what was about to happen by association, and she was completely prepared when Roy vaulted himself onto her back and had her jump straight into her fastest gallop. 

“Hiyah!” He urged, taking the rope from the saddle’s side in record speed and already prepared to lasso. It was going to be over before the Fullmetal Bandit knew what hit him. 

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-”

With some insane reaction speed, the man surprisingly doubled back and jumped on his horse’s bear back, a line of explicits hearable from where Roy was racing behind him. Either the Arabian was just as smart as his Mustang, or it was goddamn magic, but the horse didn’t even startle at the bare contact of a rider jumping on without a saddle like most would and instead broke into a run without the reins. Roy was caught off guard by such a fast reaction, but he wasn’t necessarily upset. 

He could feel it now. The adrenaline and rush of blood pumping through his heart, fear and excitement alike filling his senses. Roy couldn’t help the grin that broke on his face. A chase was going to be _fun_. 

“Leave me alone or I’ll shoot!” The man yelled, and Roy had to keep from outright laughing at him. No one who knew they were being chased to either eternal imprisonment or death bothered making threats. If he had meant it at all, he’d already been doing it, and Roy knew he spotted pistol holders on the alchemist back from before, which only meant one thing: he didn’t have the heart to kill. 

Strange, considering he was an alchemist, but Roy wasn’t going to lie and say that the discovery wasn’t a welcomed one. Besides, although he could turn him in dead rather than alive, he had no motive to- so keeping guns out of the equation entirely was a good thing for both of them.

“I’m not planning to hurt you!” Roy yelled back, enjoying the startled look over the shoulder the man gave at his threat being ignored. 

Both of their horses were _fast_ , but the land of an abrupt jump the Arabian took over some tree roots was only _almost_ seamless. Almost. 

To no fault of the horse but rather to the lack of saddle, the man tumbled down to the ground with the impact with a yelp. The stallion whined so loudly that Roy was certain it’d also hurt itself, but was quickly proved wrong when the horse immediately halted and quickly paced around the alchemist instead. Its neighing was so distressed that he could even feel Cinder tense up from beneath him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Was the first thing the man said strangely enough, as if consoling his horse, before struggling to stand up. Roy was impressed, he’d give him that, but it was over now; he was close.

“You’re finished!” He proclaimed, out of breath despite Cinder doing all the physical exertion. Roy threw the lasso, his aim spot on, but missed when the man rolled out of the way. He was hurt though, as he made no move to get back on his horse and looked to be barely able to stand, so Roy had to actually slow down before he trampled him. 

“Go and run! Save yourself!” He heard him say. Like with everything else, it seemed directed at the stallion, who whined shrilly again in response. Roy was quite surprised to see a horse so adamantly stay with its owner when most would have long run off by this point, but had no time to question it as the alchemist stood straighter and _clapped_. 

Roy was no fool. 

He felt the alchemy sizzling in the air and the reverb of metal connecting to palm in his gut, and he could already smell the copper. Even the Arabian, who had looked reluctant to leave as ordered, suddenly made to get out of the way. His usual uncontainable happiness at confirming his sights being on another real alchemist was quickly overcast with fear as the man kneeled to slam his hands on the ground. 

The earth roared. 

Roy could barely see the walls of dirt coming up in front of him before he was already acting, the alchemist making the grave mistake of underestimating his horse. He kicked the stirrups and Cinder complied, barreling straight towards the rising barrier with no fear and complete faith in her handler. Not any second before or after, Roy only had to shift his weight for his mare to _know_ , and she jumped. 

He barely made it. Rear hooves scrapping the dirt on her way down, she landed over the rising wall and continued her pace with only a minor stutter. Roy didn’t know what was more impressive. His instincts, his wonderful Mustang, or the goddamn alchemist which had just made what would take people most days in mere _seconds_. 

Either way he had no time to decide, and he quickly made to lasso the man again. The Fullmetal Bandit barely made it out of the way this time, shock clear on his features from here. 

“Fuck,” He cursed, and he clapped again. This time Roy was close enough to slow to a trot, but he kept his eyes peeled and was fast enough to have Cinder gallop out of the way from an oncoming _fist_ of dirt. 

Holy shit- who _was_ this guy?

The stallion was still close by and crying profusely, but the man ignored him as he sprinted the opposite way Roy had gone, forcing the bounty hunter to try to quickly double back.

Smart and quick-witted for sure, it was another set of seconds before Roy even got close enough again to lasso the alchemist, who dodged again like some pro athlete despite an obvious limp from injury. His golden horse was following at his side, but -surprising both of them- the stallion stopped and pivoted, getting right in front of Cinder and rearing with a cry so imposing that even the brave mare had to stutter to a halt. 

“Fucking- goddammit, no!” The alchemist cried to the horse, looking to almost stop and turn around. 

Thinking fast, Roy jumped off with the rope, taking advantage of the man’s pause. The Arabian tried to chase him, but his own mustang got in front and reared protectively without prompt. He had enough faith in Cinder to leave her as he made to follow the man on foot, who had already started off in another direction again with a slew of curses.

Now running, he was at a disadvantage, because dammit the Fullmetal Bandit was faster, but saw his opportunity as soon as they abruptly broke out of the forest and ran onto the large stones of the river’s sides. Roy expertly pulled out a single etched glove from his coat pocket and sized up the distance, his mind instantly making the calculations he needed and accounting the molecules for the reaction. He took a breath, then _snapped_. 

Flames.

Fire licked up at the sky and formed a wall, flames faster and burning hotter than any earth barrier could, and the alchemist was forced to stop to not be burned alive. Anticipating the pause, Roy threw the lasso and this time hit the mark. Pulling at frightening speed to catch the man off guard, the rope tightened and fell the alchemist to the floor, making his hat go flying off and making him land with a loud groan. 

Bullseye.

Roy quickly ran up to his capture, the fire dissipating and his heart finally feeling like it wasn't about to jump out of his chest.

“You’re an alchemist!” The man shrieked, already struggling in his bonds but looking more incredulous than anything. 

“And you’re-!” The bounty hunter nearly tripped on himself. He was close enough to see the alchemist more clearly now, and the features shook him to his core. Gold hair now undone, gold skin contrasting starkly with a deep wine scarlet gunman’s coat, and gold _eyes-_

Eyes piercing him in the same way that he could never forget.

“You’re- you’re-”

The man seemed to realize there was recognition at the same time, completely freezing, and even the horses paused in their own chase and cries to try to comprehend the scene before them. 

Roy was awash with revelation, unable to help but take in the obvious _man_ before him with disbelief. What in the actual fuck. 

“Edyln?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop, the *real* scam is revealed xD  
> Jk, big bet Roy sees it as an upgrade, ngl
> 
> Hope ya'll are ready for the real relationship to begin soon! Now that they're both in their real elements and not wearing disguises, they're actually going to meet for reals next chapter. As always, comments are very much appreciated- and any questions too because I respond to every single one. Until then, stay safe! <3


End file.
